The present invention relates to an apparatus for connecting cables with the terminals of printed circuit boards which have electronic devices mounted thereon and which are arranged parallel to one another in an equipment housing.
Printed circuit boards for electrical or electronic devices are frequently connected with a rear wall panel in electrical equipment. The rear wall panel may itself be a printed circuit board having conductor paths for connecting various terminals of the individual printed circuit boards without the use of wires. From the rear wall panel, wires or cables also lead to external units or appliances.
The rear wall panel may be of the multilayered type, having different layers of printed circuit conductor patterns that are insulated from one another, and may be provided with press-in pins which form contacts, as required, with metallized bores in the rear wall panel. The press-in pins project beyond the planes of both sides of the panel. On the side of the rear wall panel facing the printed circuit boards with the electronic devices, frames enclose parallel rows of plug-in pins which are spaced from one another at distances fixed for a plug-in connection. The frames serve as guides for female multi-point connectors which are connected with the printed circuit boards. On the side of the rear wall panel facing away from the printed circuit boards, spacers are arranged at the ends of the parallel rows of plug-in pins and further frames are fastened to these spacers so as to surround the ends of the press-in pins which project beyond the spacers. On the sections of the press-in pins extending between the rear wall panel and the underside of the frames, wire wrap connections may be provided. The frames form guides for socket elements which are plugged onto the ends of the plug-in pins.
In an arrangement as described above, the cost for connecting cables to printed circuit boards with electronic devices is relatively high. The frames provided for connection of the cable plugs can be used primarily in conjunction with press-in pins and rear wall panels only.